Anti-polio drive kicks off across the country

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: The nation-wide anti-polio campaign kicked-off today to vaccinate 39.6 million children under the age of five years against the disease, reported Radio Pakistan. 

According to an official of the National Emergency Operations Centre, over 265,000 frontline polio workers are taking part in the campaign.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza has requested all segments of society to join hands to eradicate polio virus from the country. “We have critically reviewed our performance during last campaign and worked with provincial and district teams for an even better preparedness for this nationwide vaccination drive,” he said last week.

Mirza added that the government was committed to reaching every last child in the country with the essential anti-polio vaccine.

Last week, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Kazim Niaz had also said that the complete eradication of the poliovirus was the priority of the government.

The chief secretary made these remarks while inaugurating a five-day anti-polio drive at the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH). The five-day anti-polio campaign is aiming to immunise over 6.7 million KP children under the age of five years against the poliovirus in the province.

In January, it was reported that the overall tally of reported polio cases across the country had reached 134 in 2019, including 91 cases in KP, 24 cases in Sindh, eight in Punjab and 11 in Balochistan.

Terming polio eradication as a national cause and a collective responsibility, the chief secretary urged all segments of the society, donor agencies and government institutions, to make coordinated efforts to save the future generations from life-long disabilities.